Three-martini lunches are banned in China.
Plus two new hotels: one from Audrey Gelman, one from the Trumps.
I’m really not liking these West Coast send times, guys. I’m on a flight back from San Francisco. While I was in the Delta Lounge, a Feed Me reader who works at an agency in New York came over and said hi — this is why I wear my own merch! (To the man who said hi, send me that email).
Later this month, I’m going to bring back the Feed Me job board. I didn’t like the way I had built it out last time (shared Google sheet where everyone has viewing access), so hopefully I can work on something a bit more fun to navigate while also being organized. Open to suggestions.
Today’s letter includes: our next Guest Lecture subject, Audrey Gelman, and my texts with Jessica Testa about the profile she just wrote about Audrey; the Trump family is building a resort on a lush, Mediterranean island; a Papa John memory; and an applause for i-D’s digital team.
Guest Lecture: Audrey Gelman
Guest Lecture is a Feed Me series that captures the spirit of that (sometimes unhinged) guest lecturer who would come into your class on a Friday, drop more knowledge than you’ve heard all year, and then leaves forever.
For our next Guest Lecture, we’re interviewing Audrey Gelman. Perhaps you know Audrey as the founder of The Wing, or maybe you’ve seen her screaming at a Mets game, but she’s most recently known as the founder of The Six Bells — a hotel in the Hudson Valley, inspired by the traditional fashion of the English and American countryside. (I do have to note that I did some freelance work for Audrey in the past.)
I’m currently sitting in the Delta Lounge at SFO, and have seen Audrey’s face on two men’s tables — there’s a story about her and The Six Bells written by Jess Testa on the front page of The New York Times Style section. I had to act quick and ask 1. If Audrey would do a Guest Lecture, and 2. If Jess would give me a quote about the story. Here’s what Jess texted me back:
“I’ve wanted to write about Audrey for a long time — we’ve come close once or twice over the years. But it couldn’t happen in quite this way until now, I think. She is a flack at heart and still really protective of her privacy, but she seems much more … unleashed! She makes more sense to me as a theme-park world builder than a “girlboss.” I wanted her to show her weirdness and her teeth a little bit, and I’m glad she did. Feed Me readers (love you freaks): Ask her about being an investor in Substack.
Here’s what Audrey said:
Paid readers can ask her anything about building a business in the hospitality industry, her approach to design, or the most memorable hard rock show she’s attended.
📱 Have something to tell Feed Me? My hotline is open for (anonymous) texts: (646) 494-3916 📱
- . This story in the Times isn’t about the jewelry, it’s about Aflalo’s new brand, Aflalo. But I do think there’s something percolating up out there in the lab-grown universe… Dorsey, Alflalo, something to keep an eye on.